Joan Alice Carrillo

Joan Alice Carrillo, 70, of Marco Island, Florida, passed away on November 25, 2025. Joan was a gentle, caring, compassionate person, and she will live on forever in the hearts of her husband Stephen, her siblings, and the many relatives and friends who loved her.

Joan was born in 1955 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Clifford and Dorothy Carrillo, and was the beloved sibling to two older sisters and two younger brothers. She grew up in the Caribbean, residing in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Belize, before moving to Texas with her parents when they retired in 1975. Frequent childhood moves were eased by her siblings’ companionship and her passion for horses, swimming, and sports.

After graduating from high school in Belize, Joan spent time with her sisters in Chicago and California. Early in life she became passionate about helping those suffering from mental illness and misfortune and began her lifelong dedication to helping others. This led her to obtain psychology degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (undergraduate)and Columbia University (doctorate). Decades later, her lifelong love of learning led her to become board certified in Neuropsychology in 2015.

In 1988, Joan was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. She served as a psychologist at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. After three years of dedicated service, she retired from the military with the rank of Captain. Joan began her lifelong work as a clinical psychologist in the Homestead and South Miami region, where she devoted herself to helping many individuals overcome their challenges. Her fluency in Spanish allowed her to support the local Cuban and Latin American communities, who deeply appreciated her empathetic and compassionate commitment.

While serving in the military in Homestead, Florida, Joan found her life partner Stephen Zelonka. Joan and Stephen loved and cared for one another for more than 35 years. Joan enjoyed many leisure activities. She was a lifelong feline lover and in addition to raising her own cats, she enjoyed volunteering at pet shelters wherever she lived or was visiting. She was an avid walker and with her husband Stephen hiked on trails in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Wales, Eastern and Western Canada, Alaska and Ajijic, Mexico. She also enjoyed long hikes and bike rides in her hometown of Marco Island, Florida.

Joan’s family and friends celebrate her lifelong dedication to helping others and her kind, gentle spirit. She was especially cherished for her empathy and kindness which caused others to trust and confide in her. She is greatly missed.

Joan is survived by her husband Stephen Zelonka; siblings Barbara, Margaret (Herb Engelsberg), Jim (Rosie), and Francis (Tammy) Carrillo; stepdaughters Mary Casey and Rory Elizabeth; step grandchildren Mackenzie and Austin; nephews Jonathon (Katie) Carrillo, Christopher (Monica) Carrillo, Zachary Carrillo, Collin (Cassie) Carrillo, Daniel (Lauren) Engelsberg, Benjamin (Cova Soto) Engelsberg, and niece Alexandria (Justin) Lemish.

Burial services and a celebration of life will be held in San Marcos, Texas beginning at 10 am on Saturday March 14th at Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church at 624 East Hopkins Street. We invite anyone wishing to further cherish her memory to add a favorite story and/or photograph(s) to the memorial on this website. In lieu of flowers or gifts, a special way to remember her would also be to contribute to her favorite charity and lifelong passion, The Cat Network of Miami, at https://www.thecatnetwork.org/about-us/donate-to-the-cat-network. Joan can be further memorialized via the Cat Network’s Memorials and Honors page at this link https://www.thecatnetwork.org/about-us/memorials-and-honors.